Korean National Pension Refund Calculator for Foreigners

Last verified: 2026-08-06

Korea's National Pension Service (국민연금공단, NPS) can pay a lump-sum refund (반환일시금) to certain foreign nationals who contributed to National Pension (국민연금) and are permanently leaving Korea, instead of paying a monthly pension later. Whether you qualify depends on your visa history, your nationality, and Korea's social security agreement (if any) with your home country. This tool gives a hedged, non-official estimate — it cannot replace a determination from NPS.

Eligibility navigator

Answer a few questions to see which eligibility route may apply to you. This does not check your individual NPS record — it only shows the general route that commonly applies to people with your nationality and visa history.

Nationality

Visa category

Are you leaving Korea permanently?

The lump-sum refund generally requires a qualifying event such as permanently leaving Korea, reaching pension age without the minimum contribution period, or death.

First National Pension coverage month (optional)

Final National Pension coverage month (optional)

Planned departure date (optional)

Do you have an official NPS contribution record?

This only changes which refund-estimate mode is shown below; it does not affect the eligibility check.

Refund estimator

Choose the mode that matches the information you have. Mode A (using your official contribution record) is more reliable than Mode B (a rough salary-based approximation).

A: I have my contribution record B: Estimate from salary

Total employee National Pension contribution (₩)

Copy this figure from your official NPS contribution record (국민연금 가입내역확인서), available from NPS or on the NPS website.

What this estimate does not include: NPS adds statutory interest to the refund at payment time, using a rate that changes periodically. Because that rate cannot be verified as current for every historical contribution period, it is not included in the number above — your actual official refund will differ, and interest generally increases the amount. Depending on your case, the official refund may also reflect an employer-borne portion credited to your record; this estimator only approximates the employee-contribution component. Your official NPS contribution record, not this tool, controls the real payment amount.

Country eligibility table

This table lists nationalities commonly documented as having a specific route to the lump-sum refund through Korea's social security agreements. It is not an exhaustive or guaranteed-current list — always confirm with NPS. E-8, E-9, and H-2 visa holders have a separate route regardless of nationality.

Search for your country

Country	Agreement type	Commonly documented route

Not seeing your country? Korea has social security agreements with roughly 40 countries and the treatment of each can change. If your nationality is not listed, this generally means reciprocity would need to be individually confirmed with NPS, or that no agreement is currently in force with your country.

Application checklist

General steps commonly described by NPS for the lump-sum refund. Exact required documents and processing steps can change — confirm the current requirements with NPS or the Korean embassy/consulate in your country before you travel.

Confirm your eligibility route and gather your Alien Registration Card (ARC) or passport details.
Request your NPS contribution record (국민연금 가입내역확인서) to see your exact contribution history.
Apply before departure at an NPS branch, or after departure through the NPS website, mail, or a representative — confirm the current options with NPS.
Prepare a bank account (often in your home country) for international remittance of the refund.
Prepare proof of departure (flight itinerary, immigration departure record) where requested.
Confirm current processing times and any application deadline directly with NPS.

Official sources

National Pension Service (국민연금공단) — lump-sum refund (반환일시금) information: nps.or.kr
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (외교부) — social security agreement status: mofa.go.kr
Legal basis: 국민연금법 제77조 (반환일시금)

Last verified: 2026-08-06. See methodology for how estimates are calculated and their limitations.